The coronavirus disease started in China, Wuhan, and spread to the rest of the world. In Africa, most countries began reporting cases of the virus in March. The governments of most states rolled out measures in line with the World Health Organization’s directives to help curb the spread. Some of these measures were imposing lockdowns and curfew, closing of borders, suspending flights, and among others. Citizen of Cameroon are now risking their lives amid the pandemic.
Besides, the authorities also gave safety precautions that people needed to take personal responsibility to follow them. These include wearing of face masks while in public places, sanitization and washing of hands regularly, and observing social distancing. The purpose of these measures was to save people from contracting the virus. The governments of most countries even went further to impose penalties that would apply to whoever might break the rules.
Apart from the doctors trying to save the lives of people, the police forces are ensuring that people follow the precautions. However, in countries such as South Africa that had earlier banned alcohol, there were reports of police using excessive force. The worst thing about coronavirus disease is that it has left negative impacts in most countries. Some of these impacts include the loss of jobs and businesses in various economic sectors.
Some states are relaxing its measures and trying to return to normal amid rising cases of COVID. For example, Kenya has reopened most of its learning institutions yet there are days in which the country records a high number of cases.
COVID-19 in Cameroon
Cameroon has recorded over 20,000 cases of the coronavirus disease. The residents of cities in the country haven’t been serious with the safety precautions, despite the government’s efforts to curb COVID-19. There are activities of hugging, kissing, and shaking of hands. Others even believe that the virus hasn’t yet arrived in the country.
Many of the country’s citizens are not observing social distancing, especially those in marketplaces, streets, and parks.
What some Citizens are saying
Wain George, a Cameroonian, says:
“There are some Cameroonians from the beginning of this who thought that corona was a hoax. And many of them have never won a mask even for once. And till date, they say that naturally an African is built to kill viruses. So they believe that their systems can even kill the viruses if it exists.”
Government Efforts to Curb COVID-19
The government made available test kits so that health workers could carry out more tests of the virus. The state’s Public Health Emergency Research Center is aware of the negligence among the citizens. The coronavirus coordination center arranges daily press briefings to keep the citizens updated on the development of the virus.
What Professor Yap Boum is Saying
“What we are doing is trying to comprehend what is happening, and to achieve that we do what we call a cap survey. So we go to the field, talk to the community, and try to understand what is their understanding of the virus. We also try to understand where they are getting their information. And then that aids us to go back and reinforce the sensitization.”
The recovery rate in the state is about 95% and the death rate is less than 3%. It’s not clear why the recovery rate is big among COVID-19 victims in the country. Researchers are scrutinizing if this is in connection to a high immunity or the youthful nature of the state’s population.
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